Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable and often irrational worry about everyday things that is disproportionate to the actual source of worry. This excessive worry often interferes with daily functioning, as individuals suffering GAD typically anticipate disaster, and are overly concerned about everyday matters such as health issues, money, death, family problems, friend problems, relationship problems or work difficulties.[1] They often exhibit a variety of physical symptoms, including fatigue, fidgeting, headaches, nausea, numbness in hands and feet, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, bouts of difficulty breathing, trembling, twitching, irritability,

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of the most diagnosed mental disorders today, and can often be closely linked to concurrent symptoms or disorders including physiological, behavioral, other anxiety disorders, depression and substance abuse. (Merino, Senra & Ferreiro, 2016) (Cacioppo & Fregberg, 2013, p. 688). GAD most notably produces symptoms of excessive worry and anxiety related to non-specific risks, which often leads to functional decline both socially and professionally (Roberge et al., 2015). GAD reveals instances of links to biological origins such as heredity and biochemistry, as well as, ties to an individual’s cognitive development and socioeconomic environment (Cacioppo & Fregberg, 2013).

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorder in the United States. Between 15 - 19% of the population suffers from this disorder, which impairs the quality of life and functioning (Stuart 218). What is anxiety? Abnormal Psychology describes anxiety as “an adaptive emotion that helps us plan and prepare for a possible theat.” The text book further states, “worrying about many different aspects of life becomes chronic, excessive, and unreasonable.” This is also known as generalized anxiety disorder or GAD (Butcher 201). DSM IV-TR specifies that GAD is a worry that occurs more days then not for at least 6 months, and that it must be experienced as difficult to control (Butcher 201). 25% of those that suffer from this

Generalized Anxiety Disorder affects millions of Americans each year. Typically, those who struggle with anxiety on such a regular basis struggle with fatigue and poor concentration. Although the effects of anxiety are easier to define, the causes, unfortunately, are not. Often, figuring out the exact causes for anxiety proves difficult, as it varies from person to person. There are, however, some major commonalities between individuals with anxiety, such as workload, social situations, or other disorders. In today’s hectic society, people’s schedules are busier than ever. Adults are expected to balance multiple areas of their lives, including work, school, and family. If an individual becomes sick, he or she may fall behind in one area, which

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a common mental disorder associated with excessive unnecessary worrying. There are many causes, symptoms, and treatments associated with it. While Generalized Anxiety Disorder can be paralyzing to an individual, with proper treatment a person can still function and live a normal life.

Anxiety affects each one of us from time to time. It just seems to come with the territory. Most often, though, we simply manage to shake it off and get on with our life with no real harm done.

Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD) is a disorder consisting of excessive worrying, tension and nervousness. This condition can occur over and over again and if left untreated can lead to suicidal and violent thoughts in the patient. Even though there are certain triggers to the condition, the person eventually becomes so used to worrying and taking stress that they can't control the feeling. These dreadful feelings and excessive thinking eventually overtakes them and leads them into more and more depression. Consequently, the stress and anxiety interferes with the patient's ability to lead a normal life. The major symptoms of this order are motor tension, violence, autonomic hyperactivity, apprehension, and vigilance. GAD has been defined as a state of worry and anxiety that lasts for at least six months and is accompanied by any of the associative symptoms. Associative symptoms included irritability, insomnia, and fatigability.

Anxiety disorders are the most common disorder in the united states. There are six different types of anxiety disorders. There is generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety attack(panic disorder), obsessive compulsive disorder, phobia disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This disorder is one of the most arguably common faced encounters clinicians deal with today. Because of this I choose to focus much of my emphasis on the difficulties one face, that’s diagnosed with GAD and the hard ship of building and maintain a good client relationship. Generalized anxiety disorder begins at the onset of a worry and or tension that carries on into more severe and debilitating symptom (American Psychological Association, 1997). These symptoms are triggered by a multitude of reactions or situation that leads the individual to face uncontrollable panic like attacks. Even when a person feels the onset of an Anxiety attack it is difficult for them to control it because of the inability and impairment state it leaves them in.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), is a condition characterized by pervasive worry. It takes the form of undue distress about a variety of everyday things beyond the scope of more specific anxieties and phobias (Goldberg, 2017). Anxious adult hoarder is someone who can live in an unhealthy and dangerous environment, collecting stuffs that aren’t valuable or important, and living with broken appliances instead of getting them fixed (Mayoclinic, 2017). General anxiety disorder in a pediatric patient and anxiety associated with an adult hoarder are different in many ways such as hoarding, adult hoarders would rather cope with malfunctioning systems instead of being in a safe environment like everyone else and continue to collect and keeping everything

Everyday worries are less likely to be accompanied by physical symptoms, compared to individuals with generalized anxiety disorder, who report subjective distress due to constant worry and related impairment in various areas of daily functioning. For example, having persistent and excessive anxiety or worry (i.e., apprehensive expectation) about a number of events or activities, within various domains, that an individual finds difficult to control is a key feature of a generalized anxiety disorder. Given that Steven has chronic worry, anticipation of failure and a fear that he will not be able to financially care for his wife and new baby, in spite of his lucrative and successful career, suggests that he has generalized anxiety disorder.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a disorder that I struggle with personally. It is when a person has a tense feeling of stress, and anxiety for long periods of time without any real cause of it. Even though everyone has fears, and has stress from time to time it isn’t harmful unless the anxiety and stress is keeping someone from living their life, and relaxing. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is different from other anxiety disorders because panic attacks rarely occur, and instead an overpowering sense of dread is long lasting.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder “is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events with no obvious reasons for worry”(Generalized Anxiety Disorder par. 1). For example, you could be spending your whole day worrying about a pop quiz that you know is not going to happen or afraid that your how is going to get robbed while you are at school. These constant crazy worries really can put a toll on your everyday life. Some of the main symptoms include headaches, sweating, nausea, muscle tension, concentration problems, ongoing worry, and unrealistic view on problems, and tiredness.

When it comes to psychological disorders, I don’t feel like I have a lot of experience. Anxiety disorders or generalized anxiety disorder is not something I have been around. I would say that I and maybe some of my friends may have a very very mild form of anxiety disorder as we do have periods of dread and worry, and get stressed really easily. However, whatever we have aren’t even close to what people with anxiety disorder deal with. I do have phobias and I know some of my friends do to. I have phobias of snakes, sharks, and spiders. For years, I wouldn’t go near an ocean because I was so scared of sharks. The fear of sharks slowly grew to the fear of any fish, so if I were to go into a lake and a fish would come up to me and nibble at my